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“How long do you anticipate her needing to be there?” Ryan asked.
“It’s hard to say for sure,” Grover admitted. “We’re well aware that your FBI agent friend, Jack Dolan, is leading the hunt for Pierce locally. Obviously, his personal connection to you makes him invested in catching her, and he’s got a great reputation. But as long as Ash Pierce is out there, we think it’s best for Hannah to stay hidden.”
“I noticed that you didn’t answer Jessie’s question,” Hannah said, clearly trying to keep her frustration in check. “Where exactly would you take me?”
“That’s the thing,” Rufus said with a sigh, “we can’t say. If we’re going to keep you safe, then even Jessie and Ryan knowing your location would be a risk. Sorry to be so pessimistic, but what if Pierce somehow got to one of them and tried to torture the information out of them? We know she’s skilled in that area. In that scenario, you’re still safe because they have nothing useful to reveal.”
“So you’re anticipatingnotbeing able to keep Jessie safe then?” Hannah challenged.
“They’re just anticipating contingencies,” Jessie chided. “As much as I dislike the idea of being separated from you, your safety is my top priority. If keeping me in the dark keeps you safer, I’m inclined to consider it.”
Hannah looked like she wanted to protest more but stopped herself.
“If this will lower your stress level, then I’ll go,” she said reluctantly.
Jessie felt more than a twinge of guilt knowing that Hannah would have to miss the start of her college experience, but she tried not to let it weigh her down. Everyone was quiet for a moment, collectively processing what came next.
“Right then,” Grover finally said. “We’ll get this started now, I think. Hannah, you should go pack a few bags. Include what you need to entertain yourself as Rufus is pretty boring. I’ll be his point of contact and relay updates to Jessie and Ryan so they won’t be totally in the dark. But this might be the last time you all see each other for a while, so you’ll want to take a moment for goodbyes before Hannah heads out.”
“I hate to say it, but we should do that now,” Ryan said, looking at his watch. “We have an appointment with Dr. Lemmon in half an hour and we won’t make if we don’t leave soon.”
“That’s better anyway,” Jessie added. “I don’t want Hannah to rush her packing and I don’t want to sit here wallowing while she does it.”
“So what?” Hannah asked incredulously. “Are we just saying, ‘adios’ right this second, not knowing when we’ll see each other again?”
Jessie looked over at Grover, who nodded almost imperceptibly.
“I kind of think we are,” she said.
“Okay,” Hannah muttered, still stunned.
They all stood up. For a second, no one seemed to know what to do. Then Ryan stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Hannah, giving her a big hug.
“You’ll be fine, kiddo,” he said. “You always are.”
“Thanks, Ryan,” she replied.
Once they separated, Jessie stepped forward. She took a long look at her younger half-sister. A mere two years ago, she hadn’t even known the girl existed. But after a confluence of tragedies, including the brutal murder of Hannah’s adoptive parents by the serial killer father they learned they shared, Jessie had assumed guardianship of the sister she had only just discovered.
Back then, Hannah was a traumatized, skinny girl—tall but waifish with darting eyes and unquenchable resentment. The young woman who stood before her now was almost unrecognizable.
At five-foot-nine, she was only an inch shorter than Jessie. Her blonde hair rested below her shoulders, vibrant and bouncy. She was still lean, but the waifishness was gone, replaced by sinewy strength and determination borne out of surviving unimaginable suffering. Her green eyes, the same shade as Jessie’s, flashed with confidence that occasionally bordered on cockiness. Somewhere along the line, she’d grown up.
“This is just temporary,” Jessie assured her, pulling the younger woman into an embrace. “We’re going to catch Haddonfield. The FBI will get Ash Pierce. You’ll be sitting in a criminology class at UC Irvine before you know it.”
“I wish I was as confident as you are,” Hannah said.
Jessie leaned in close and whispered in her ear.
“Just have faith in me,” she said quietly. “Do you think I’m just going to leave our future to HSS and the FBI? I’ve got irons in the fire that I can’t tell you about. We won’t be playing defense forever, I promise you that.”
Hannah looked at her with a mix of surprise and relief before pulling her back into another hug.
“A promise from you is good enough for me, big sis,” she whispered back as she squeezed so tight that Jessie almost had to gasp for air.
CHAPTER THREE
Getting to Dr. Lemmon’s office was more complicated—and dangerous— than usual.
